Summer Love
by Wolfgirl51
Summary: After learning that a newly single Hermione is spending the summer with them, Sirius and Bellatrix start some cousin rivalry with a bet to see who can sleep with her first. As Bellatrix tries to beat Sirius, she grows closer to Hermione, putting her own emotions at risk. What happens when through all the lies, games and seduction, the truth comes out? Note: AU- War never happened
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: After learning that a newly single Hermione is spending the summer with them, Sirius and Bellatrix start some cousin rivalry with a bet to see who can sleep with her first. As Bellatrix tries to beat Sirius, she grows closer to Hermione, putting her own emotions at risk. What happens when through all the lies, games and seduction, the truth comes out?**

**Note: AU- War never happened, OOC Bellatrix (she doesn't hate muggleborns, well she won't murder them at least)**

**Disclaimer: This story is not for profit and no copyright infringement is intended. These characters and the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling**

* * *

"Harry, are you there?" Hermione asked as she stepped through the fireplace. She looked around the sitting room of Grimmauld Place, finding no one.

"I'll be right down." Harry yelled from the second floor of the house.

Hermione waited in the sitting room. She took a seat and tried to steady her breathing. Memories of the last hour were at the front of her mind. Her argument with Ron had given her a headache. The insults that were thrown at one another, making anyone watching think they were enemies instead of lovers, made her start to tear up. As she tried to hold back the tears, Harry walked in.

"Hello Hermione, to what do I owe this enormous pleasure?" Harry's playful smile disappeared when he noticed that his best friend was crying. He sat down next to her and took her into his arms. She relaxed a little and pulled away from Harry. "What's wrong Hermione?"

Before she could respond, Tonks walked in. "Wotcher Hermione!" Just like Harry, her grin fell once she saw how distressed her younger friend was.

"Hello Tonks." She offered a shy smile once she realized the disheveled clothes on both of them. "Sorry if I interrupted something, I shouldn't have come without telling you first. I can go if you'd like." She got up to leave but Harry grabbed her hand lightly and led her to the couch.

"Nonsense Hermione, we were just packing. Tonks, do you mind going upstairs and finishing?" Tonks got up, sending Hermione a comforting smile just before leaving the room.

Once Tonks left the room, Harry turned to face Hermione. "Did something happen with Ron?"

"We had a bit of a huge argument. I just couldn't stand being in the flat with him anymore."

"Ron's sometimes is a complete git, Hermione. I'm sure by tomorrow he'll be here apologizing."

"We broke up, Harry."

There was tense silence. The wizard was in shock. He always thought that his two best friends were hopelessly in love with each other, no matter how different they were. They had always had some sort of chemistry. Then again, so did Ginny and him. He continued to ponder his friends' relationship until Hermione's voice brought him out of his stupor.

"Why are you packing?" Hermione asked, no longer comfortable with the silence.

"Sirius invited me to the Black's summer house." Harry responded as he got up to serve Hermione and himself a glass of Knotgrass Mead. As he handed one glass to Hermione, Tonks walked back in.

"I'm done packing, but I promised to visit my mother before leaving. I'll be here at noon so we can leave. Are you going to come with us?" Tonks asked Hermione.

"No, I wouldn't want to intrude on your vacation. If Sirius wanted me there, he would have invited me. It's clearly a family thing and—"

"Nonsense Hermione, you are family. I bet Sirius would love to have you. Plus, it'll help you relax and get your mind off Ron." Harry replied eagerly.

"I don't have enough time to pack"

"I'll help you. Come on Hermione, it'll be fun." Harry begged, more than excited at spending the summer with his closest friend.

"The library is almost the size of the one at Hogwarts." Tonks told her.

"Are you serious?" Hermione's voice was no longer doubtful, but instead filled with excitement. She thought about all the old books that such a regal and ancient family would have. "Fine, I'll go. I guess a tan wouldn't do any harm."

The three of them laughed, until Tonks went to say goodbye. She hugged Hermione and grabbed some floo powder. She then went and kissed Harry goodbye, smudging a little bit of powder on his cheek. Hermione watched their interactions, happy that Harry was finally getting over Ginny. Her thoughts almost drifted to Ron but a tap on the window distracted her. She opened the window and an owl flew in. It flew over to where Harry was sitting. Harry took the letter tied to its leg and opened it.

"Who is it from?" Hermione asked Harry as he read the letter.

"It's from Sirius. He wants to make sure that we are going to be there for lunch. I'll write to him that you're coming too." Harry quickly took a piece of parchment, wrote a letter to Sirius, and sent it back with the owl. They sat down and enjoyed the peaceful silence.

"What did you and Ron fight about?"

"What did I interrupt you and Tonks from doing?"

"Touche"

* * *

"You know why you don't have a job Remus?" Bellatrix said to Remus, who was sitting on the couch opposite hers. They were both sprawled out, taking up their respective sofas.

Remus sighed, growing exasperated of his friend's cousin's bad werewolf jokes. He downed his glass of firewhiskey and went to grab the bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey. He served himself a glass and realized that this was their third bottle of firewhiskey. Remus looked over to Bellatrix who was looking at her hands in confusion. He wondered what was taking Sirius so long, but responded to Bellatrix's earlier question. "Is it because I'm a werewolf?"

"It's because all your employers think you're shifty." The witch replied, bursting into giggles. Once she saw that Remus was scowling, she stopped and looked at him seriously. "Relax puppy, it was only a joke. Seriously speaking about your job, you can always become a writer. Werewolves make great writers, something about always having a tail to tell." The dark haired witch began to laugh.

"Merlin, you're insufferable." Remus smiled a little at the witch's intoxicated state

"If you put on a coat, does that make you an outerwear-wolf?" At this joke, both of them laughed. Sirius walked into the room reading a letter. He sat down in the recliner and served himself a glass of firewhiskey.

"Glad to see you two are getting along. Harry's bringing Tonks and Hermione tomorrow. They get here at noon." Sirius finished reading and put the letter on the table.

"I've never met Hermione. Is she nice?" Bellatrix asked, her speech a bit slurred.

"I think what you meant to ask is what are the chances that she'll sleep with you. Don't even try, she's dating someone, a Weasley to be exact. Right, Pads?" The werewolf told her, reaching over for another refill.

"That's where you're wrong Moony. Harry says they broke up, which means she is fair game." Sirius answered with a grin.

"She's too innocent for either of you. Did I ever tell you she came on to me once during a party at Grimmauld Place? Well she was a bit drunk, said she had drank too much champagne. Much too innocent, getting drunk on champagne. Either way, we started to snogging but then she just stopped. Kicked me out of her room and when I asked what was wrong, she told me to go wank and leave her alone." Remus was interrupted by the others boisterous laughter.

"How feisty, I love it." Sirius said while patting Remus on the shoulder. Bellatrix was bent over holding onto her stomach from laughing. Once he saw the scowl Remus had on his face, he stopped laughing and sat up. "You can continue now."

"Thank you. So I went to bed."

"To wank" Sirius said to Bellatrix who snickered.

"No! Now stop interrupting. So the next day, I see her in the kitchen eating breakfast and I asked if she was ok. She apologized, said she overreacted and whatnot, and told me how she didn't sleep around. She's waiting til marriage. It's a rather common muggle tradition actually but the point is that she won't sleep with either of you just because you wink at her."

"That sounds like a challenge, don't you think Siri?" said the witch with a mischievous smirk.

"Yes it does, and I love a challenge. How about a little wager, cuz?"

"Didn't you listen to anything I just said?" exclaimed Remus.

"Relax Moony." Sirius grabbed a couch cushion and took out his wand. He pointed his wand at the cushion and silently transfigured it into a crown. "Whoever beds her first gets crowned the the Official Marauder Conquesting King/Queen."

The older witch scoffed. The idea of putting so much work into something during the summer for a silly crown annoyed her. The Black summer house was located on the southern coast of France in a small town near Nice. That meant that it was far away from all sorts of gossip and whispers that came with being part of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. She could fuck whoever she wanted with no worries that the annoying little twat from the Daily Prophet was around. If Hermione was as much of a prude as they said she was that would surely mean she would have to commit to a monogamous relation, or at least make the girl think that.

"All that work for a silly crown, not thanks Siri. Plus the title from that little Gryffindor club of yours really isn't that appealing for anyone above the age of 9." The witch said, making the werewolf next to her laugh a little.

"It´s not a club", muttered Sirius still holding the crown.

"Come on Pads, you gotta admit that the crowns pretty lame", said Remus as he served Bellatrix and himself a refill.

At that comment, Sirius shot Remus a dirty look. Remus simply grinned at his best friend.

"Come on, why so Sirius?", said the werewolf. Both him and Bellatrix burst out in giggles at the annoyance on Sirius's face. They continued to laugh while he turned the crown back into its original state. The animagus threw the cushion at Remus, causing him to drop his glass. Sirius got up angrily and walked out of the sitting room, slamming the door shut as he left. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, Bellatrix finally spoke.

"What crawled up his arse and cast a stinging jinx."


	2. Chapter 2

**What is better than waking up on a Sunday to reviews and cinnamon pancakes. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed me and my story. Since I can't give you pancakes, I'll just give you another chapter.**

**TRIGGER WARNING: Attempted rape and abuse**

* * *

"Bella, get up", said Sirius as he walked into the sitting room. The animagus was already in a bad mood. He had ran into Remus and told him to stay for lunch, but Remus refused, saying that it would be too awkward with Tonks there too. Waking up his cousin would definitely not help his mood. He walked up to the couch and shook the older witch. Bellatrix groaned but did not get up. He shook her a bit harder.

"Go away, I'm sleeping", said Bellatrix as she snuggled further into the couch.

"Harry and his friends are gonna be here in an hour. An old drunk that is hungover and smelling like alcohol isn't the best first impression, especially if you wanna beat me in our bet", said Sirius, sitting down in the chair next to the couch. He waited for Bellatrix to react at the last comment. Predictably, she sat up and shot daggers at him from her seat.

"First of all, I'm not old", she said through gritted teeth. "Second of all, i already told you I'm not getting involved with the girl. I could get a better crown for buying a Felicis sundae at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. So, sod off." The older witch spat at her cousin venomously and went back to sleep on her makeshift bed.

"Fine go back to sleep, old people need more sleep anyway"

He was trying to get under her skin. That much she realized, but two could play at that game."Sod. Off. I'm serious, Sirius."

She chuckled in amusement knowing how much the joke bothered her cousin. Sirius frowned, annoyed at the bad pun that was said much too often for his liking. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Bella. He flicked it upward and suddenly Bellatrix was hanging from her ankles. The black haired witch struggled to keep her dress from falling down below her knickers. SIrius started laughing at her struggle, causing her to start yelling at him.

"Let me down you little twat. God, you're an insufferable little piece of sh–"

"Watch your language Bella", said Sirius with a stern voice and a regal stance, doing his best imitation of her father. "It's not fit for a lady."

"Fuck you, when i get down you're going to pay for this." she warned him while still struggling with her dress.

"If I let you down, will you listen to me?"

"Fine"

The animagus jerked his wand upward and Bella was on the floor. He offered his hand to help Bella up of the floor. She swatted away his hand and got up herself, smoothing out her dress as she took a seat. "You have 2 minutes to explain the little show you just put on before I start hexing you."

"Besides it being completely hilarious, we need to finish arranging the bet."

"I already–", the older witch started to say before she was interrupted yet again by her cousin.

"Yes, for the crown. Over the course of the night I thought of a better proposition." Sirius paused waiting for his cousin to say something, but all he received was a raised eyebrow. Realizing he had her attention, he continued. "If you win, you can take my motorcycle."

What game was Sirius playing? Surely if he was willing to bet his most prized possession, he had a load of tricks up his sleeve. Sirius wasn't stupid enough to have such high stakes without her having to bet something really important. Then again, no matter how old he was, he was still a cocky Gryffindor. His ego would gladly allow him to make such a wager just to call me old without getting hexed.

"What do you want in return?", Bella asked suspiciously in return.

"Just a little favor, nothing much", Sirius said quickly, avoiding eye contact with his cousin. "So is it a bet?"

"I don't trust you."

Sirius sighed loudly and ran his hand through his hair. "I get it. Let's just finish enjoying the summer then."

He got up from his chair and started to leave the room. Bella was dumbfounded. She couldn't or the life of her understand what angle he was playing. Sirius was already in the hallway

"Wait Siri, what are you playing at?", said Bellatrix as she got up and went after her cousin. He stopped in the hallway as he heard her walk up behind her. Still with his back turned towards his cousin, he smirked as he realized his plan had worked. He stopped smirking and turned towards Bella.

"I get it Bella, you're afraid that you've lost your charm. You don't want to get into a bet where the stakes are high because you feel washed out. I understand." Sirius looked down at Bella, who was in shock. "Obviously Hermione would prefer someone young and attractive like me instead of you."

He felt the slap before he saw it. At that monent, he knew he had went too far. He felt a little guilty, but then got the exact reaction he wanted to get out of her.

"Where do you get the idea that you can say that to me? You pretentious little cunt, honestly you have a lot of nerve even thinking that you could get away with that. The bet is on and i will win. I'll shag her six ways from sunday until she doesn't even know her name, much less yours. And while I'm off fucking Hermione, you can go fuck yourself, you arrogant flee-carrying arsehole." With that, the black haired witch stormed off. Sirius heard a door slam above him. He had mixed emotions about what had just happened. He felt a bit guilty that he had upset Bellatrix so much. He was also worried because he knew she would get him back somehow, besides the bet. He was also glad that his plan had worked so well. Now all he had to do was win. Mostly though, he felt pain in his cheek.

* * *

"You don't have to accompany me guys. I'll only be a few minutes to pick up a some clothes for the weekend", Hermione said as she grabbed some floo powder.

"You just proved why we have to go. You're spending the summer. We have to make sure you pack for the whole summer, not just a weekend." Tonks said this as she grabbed some powder for her and Harry.

"Plus 'Mione, when was the last time we were together?" Harry saw Hermione about to respond but quickly added in, "Besides passing each other at the Ministry."

When she thought about it, they both had drifted apart. Emotionally, they were still each others closest friend and confidant. Physically though, she could not remember the last time that they had hung out.

"See, we never hang out anymore. Come on 'Mione, promise you'll stay the whole summer", said Harry, giving Hermione his best puppy dog look.

"Fine, you know I can't deny that look."

"And it's good you can't. Could you imagine all the homework I would have had to do by myself if you could?" Tonks laughed at Harry's comment, meanwhile Hermione playfully punched him in the arm. They went into the floo one by one, arriving at ince at Hermione and Ron's loft.

Harry and Tonks took in the sight of the guest room that Hermione Had turned into her own personal library. Both were unsettled by the mess, but said nothing. Harry looked towards Hermione but she avoided his questioning stare. The awkward silence was broken by Hermione.

"Sorry for the mess guys. Just with work and all. So me and Tonks will go pack", said Hermione who then looked at Harry but didn't make eye contact. "You don't mind waiting here for a few minutes, right Harry?"

Harry nodded, but grabbed Hermione just as Tonks and her were going to leave the library. Hermione turned around, and it was as if she had performed legilimency on him. "Harry, please drop it."

"Hermione, what happened?" He would normally leave it be, but the young wizard was starting to get worried. It wasn't like his friend to leave a library unorganized. Libraries were sacred to her. Beside the mess, there was broken glass on the floor. He knew Ron had recently gotten suspended from his Auror job and that he was going to pubs more often than not, but that was no excuse for whatever happened here. Especially if he hurt Hermione, then there would definitely be hell to pay.

"It was just a fight Harry, please stay out of it."

Harry's determination to figure out what happened was destroyed when he saw the look on Hermione's face. Hermione knew Harry was passionate and protective, but at the moment that would only lead to another fight between her and Ron. The pleading look Hermione gave her friend was enough to get him to relent.

"Fine. You know I'm here for you, right?", said Harry as he let go of Hermione.

"I know." Hermione left to meet Tonks, who had left to give them their privacy. She was diligently waiting outside the door for Hermione. The two girls went to pack. Harry was left to his thoughts, staring at the door Hermione had just walked through. If he had not payed so much attention to Hermione's pleading look, he might have noticed the bruises on her wrist.

* * *

The two witches walked towards Hermione's room to pack. They walked into the room to find the bed unorganized and a suitcase next to the closet. Hermione immediately became tense. Noticing this, Tonks put a comforting hand on her back and said, "Don't worry about the mess 'Mione, you should see my room."

Tonks went and put the suitcase on the bed. Hermione relaxed, realizing that the metamorphmagus wasn't going to ask for an explanation. One of Tonk's best qualities, Hermione thought, was that she was respectful of others privacy. When she first found out about her and Harry, she was surprised, but she was happy once she saw how happy her best friend was when they were together. They went through Hermione's clothes deciding what to pack. "So, how are you and Harry?"

"We're good. He's really lovely. Overall it's a normal relationship. Sometimes we argue and bicker, but thats normal. We don't want it to be perfect, we want it to be real."

"The screaming I heard this morning wasn't arguing though...", the younger witch asked shyly.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry Hermione. I guess Harry wasn't very con when he put the silencing charms." The animagus smiled coyly and her hair turned as red as her cheeks. Hermione laughed and they finished packing.

"I am going to go get my toothbrush. Then we can go", said Hermione as she got up off the bed and walked out of the room. She went down the hallway and into the bathroom. After retrieving her toothbrush and other personal items, she started to walk back towards the room. She stopped when she saw the picture frame that was hanging on the wall. The picture was taken in her sixth year, after Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup. The trio was smiling. Seeing the picture made her remember the argument she had with ron the night before.

_"Open the door Hermione", said Ron as he tried to unlock the bedroom door. He had left his wand downstairs._

_"Go away, I don't want to see you." Hermione tried to keep her calm but she was very angry. She transfigured a pillow into a suitcase. She began to grab her clothes from her closet._

_"Hermione, let me in." When he received no response, he went to look for his wand._

_Hermione didn't answer and just kept packing. Suddenly Ron opened the door._

_"'Mione, let me explain." His voice was slurred and his eyes were as red as his hair. The witch ignored him and he became furious. He went to grab her arm but she pulled away._

_"Don't touch me... Especially not after touching her." She ran out of the room and walked towards her library. Empty bottles of rum littered the kitchen counter. She had to get away from the mess, from Ron, from everything. Ron followed closely behind. She went into her library and went straight towards the fireplace. Ron came in behind her._

_"Where the bloody hell do you think you're you going?", asked Ron._

_"Somewhere where people don't smell like they've bathed in firewhiskey."_

_The redhead grabbed the witch before she could grab floo powder and pushed her against the wall. Hermione hit her head and was left dazed. Ron pushed himself against her and put her wrists above her head. She could smell the alcohol on his breath as he spoke._

_"Maybe it's time you performed your duty to me."_

_"Ron, you're hurting me", Hermione said as he tried kissing her neck. "Please Ron, let me go. I don't want this."_

_"Not a chance. If you can fuck your way towards a promotion, you can certainly fuck me." Ron went to kiss her using one hand to unbutton his pants. The other was firmly keeping the witch's wrists above her head. He roughly stuck his tongue in her mouth. The brunette witch bit down hard on his tongue, causing him to yelp and back away from her. Hermione took the opportunity and flung a book at him. Surprised by the book, Ron fell back onto the floor. He began to get up, but Hermione had already grabbed her wand from her on top of her desk. Ron got up and went to charge towards Hermione, but Hermione was faster._

_"Oppugno!", she said as the hundreds of books went to attack Ron. She heard Ron yell, but she was in shock. She fell to ground in tears. After she had steadied her breathing, she got up and wiped her eyes. She noticed the bruises on her wrists and Ron's unconscious body in the ground. Hermione flicked her wand and the books flew back to their places on the shelves. She went to clean up the rest of the mess and finish packing but Ron started to stir. She grabbed some floo powder and left._

"Look who came running back." The coldness in the voice made her shudder. She turned around and found Ron standing in the hallway with her.

"Actually Ron, I was just about to leave. I'm moving out." Ron grimaced and took a step closer. Hermione stood her ground.

"Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business.

"Of course it's my business, I'm your fiance."

"Really, because you seemed very happy with Lavender last night. If you must know, I'm going to spend the summer at the Black's summer house with Harry and Tonks." She went to leave but he grabbed her arm.

"Blimey Hermione, I knew you were a slag but do you really think a Black would look at you? I'm better off without you anyway. At least Lavender knows how to make me happy."

"Fine. Have fun paying the rent and your whores without a job." Once Hermione finished, she realized what she said was a mistake. She had left her wand next to her suitcase and Ron was furious. He raised his hand to slap her, but the slap never came. Next thing she knew, Ron was pressed against the wall with a wand pressed to his throat.

"If you ever even think of hurting Hermione, I will personally escort you to Azkaban, you misogynistic stupid arsehole. Are we clear?" With that, Tonks pushed him away from the two of them. They stared at each other, until Ron left with a scowl. When he left, Tonks immediately relaxed and turned towards Hermione. "I got worried when you didn't come back. Are you ok? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm fine. He didn't do anything. Well, except for act like a total git", Hermione said jokingly. Tonks didn't smile. The metamorphmagus opened her mouth to say something, but chose not to. They returned to the room in silence and got Hermione's suitcase. They went towards the library, but Hermione stopped Tonks before they went in. "What happened upstairs, can you keep it from Harry? He would freak out if he knew, the last thing I want is this to turn into a big mess."

"'Mione..." Tonks was hesitant to agree. Harry would be furious if he knew she kept this from him. Besides that, something could have happened to Hermione if she hadn't intervened. Hermione was smart though, and she was an adult. Plus, Tonks couldn't resist the pleading look Hermione was giving her. She sighed. "Fine. Just promise to stay safe. You can do better than that git."

Hermione smiled at her. She was about to say something when Harry opened the door.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?"

"You know how girls are, getting ready and all", Hermione said lamely.

"I heard a noise earlier. Is everything ok?" Harry said. Hermione froze and looked at Tonks.

"Well, um–"

"I tripped. You know how I am Harry, I trip over a cordless phone." Tonks grabbed Harry's hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now come on, Sirius might save our food, but Padfoot won't."

Harry laughed and grabbed some floo powder. Hermione mouthed a thank you to Tonks. Tonks worded a no problem back. Harry saw the exchange and looked questioningly at his girlfriend. All she gave him was a shrug of the shoulders and a wink. This left him even more confused. He sighed and whispered to himself, "Women are crazy".

* * *

**Once again, thanks for the reviews and I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter. I'll try to post at least one new chapter every week. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry for taking so long to update, but i had terrible writer's black and depression and my school work has been piling up. Basically my life was a mess, but hopefully I will be updating a bit more regularly. I am so sorry once again for the wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feel free to report any spelling mistakes, I usually spell check but you never know. Have a lovely day.**

* * *

"Bloody idiot", Bella says as she gets ready to bathe. She untied the laces of her corset and takes it off. Once she was done undressing, she went into the bathroom. She went up to the full length mirror and stared at her reflection.

"I´m not old."

_Sirius was just trying to get on my nerves, _she thought doubtfully, while examining her face. Her skin was flawless, not a blemish or wrinkle in sight. Her nose was a pureblood nose, not too big or too small. Perfect. Bellatrix stepped away from the mirror and looked at her naked body. Her breasts were firm, pale and round. The witch's body had a beautiful hourglass figure due to her corsets. _Is that a gray hair?_

Bellatrix grabbed her curls looking for the non-existent gray hair. After searching relentlessly, she gave up and went to prepare her bath. Once the water had filled the tub, she lowered herself into the hot water. She relaxed and was left to her thoughts.

_I don't have any gray hairs. It was just my imagination. Maybe I am a bit too pale though. I could use a little color. I wonder what Sirius is going to ask of me if he wins. Which he won't. He is too impulsive for such a prude. Then again, she is a Gryffindor... Sirius won't win. I'd crucio myself before I let him beat me. The girl's innocence will be mine. _

_I'm definitely not old._

* * *

Sirius was halfway through shaving when he was startled by a loud pop. He nicked his neck a little. When his house elf saw what he had caused, he began to apologize and reprimand himself harshly.

"Tippy, stop it", said Sirius as the house elf continued to hit its head against the wall.

"Tippy bad, Tippy hurt Master Black. Bad tippy, Bad." The house elf continued to hit itself until Sirius shouted, ordering it to stop and shut up.

"Tippy, is lunch prepared?" Sirius finished shaving and splashed his face with water.

"Oh yes Master Black, lunch is ready. The food is prepared just as you asked. I even went to town to get the freshest watermelon there was." Sirius thanked and dismissed the elf. He put on his white oxford shirt and began to button it.

_Bella doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. If lunch goes well, I should be done with this bet in a week. Two at most, especially if Bella is still angry about what I said. She sure knows how to slap. I hope it won't bruise. Then again, maybe she'll think I'm manly and tough if she sees a bruise. I'll make up some story of fighting for my honor or something. She'll be head over heels for me in no time. _

He was interrupted from his thoughts by an owl pecking at his window. He opened the window and a chubby owl came and nearly fell off the desk it landed on. Clearly, it was Wormtail's owl. He opened the letter and read it.

_Dear Padfoot,_

_I hope you win the bet. You probably will, you are a marauder after all. Thanks a lot for helping me with your cousin. Keep me updated._

_Sincerely, Wormtail_

"Poor Bella", Sirius muttered to himself as he grabbed another piece of parchment to reply. He felt a little guilty about coercing Bella into taking the bet without knowing what he was going to ask of her, but Wormtail was desperate. Wormtail had no flirting skills, nor was he charming. Plus, Sirius couldn't stand his begging anymore. This was the only way he could help. No matter how much he would pity his cousin when he won, he had promised Wormtail his help. A Marauder's promise.

There was no way he could break that.

* * *

Harry, Tonks, and Hermione arrived and waited in the sitting room of the summer house. They heard footsteps and the door opened to reveal Sirius.

"Snuffles", said Harry as he went to hug his godfather. Tonks hugged him next. Hermione was going to say something to Sirius, but was cut off by his hug. After a hug that lasted enough for the room to become awkwardly silent, Sirius took a step back, still holding Hermione close by the arms.

"Sirius, thank you so much for letting me stay here. I´m sorry for any inconvenience that my coming might have caused." Hermione was going to continue, but Sirius stopped her.

"Nonsense 'Mione. Harry's friends are always welcome. Plus, I've always had quite a soft spot for you." He said the last part quietly enough that only Hermione heard. She blushed slightly and gave a shy smile. Sirius grinned and called his elf to the room. With a pop, Tippy appeared.

"Tippy, go show everyone their rooms and have the other elves serve lunch."

"Me and Tonks are going to share a room, just so you know", Harry said to his godfather.

"Well, Tippy already organized the rooms", replied Sirius but quickly added, "but of course, it's fine."

Tippy left to show everyone their rooms, leaving the animagus alone in the room.

* * *

Hermione sat on the bed of her new room. She laid back wondering how she was going to spend the summer.

_The house is smaller than Grimmauld Place. Then again, smaller than Grimmauld Place doesn't mean much. I'll have to visit the library later, hopefully it's as big as Tonks said it is. Sirius would probably give me a tour if I asked. He was being quite friendlier with me, more than usual. Probably heard about me and Ron. Great, pity. But no, Sirius doesn't look like the type of guy to pity people. He was genuine. But there was something in his eyes when he looked at me. It wasn't pity. It was something else..._

Hermione got up and began to unpack some clothes. If she planned on staying the rest of the summer, she might as well make use of the closets. Tippy said she was free to use whatever space she needed. After half an hour, she was done hanging the last of her clothes in the closet. She opened the balcony doors and walked out onto the small French balcony. She closed her eyes and became mesmerized by the sound of the waves hitting the nearby coastline. The witch relaxed as she felt the ocean breeze hit her. She looked below to see the rest of the property. There was a large swimming pool and a small path that led to the beach. There were some trees that provided shade. Near the pool, there were several pool chairs, one of which was currently being occupied by a black haired woman.

_Merlin, she's beautiful. _

The brunette witch was shocked at the thought. However, she could not stop staring at the dark witch. The way her pale skin contrasted against her black hair and her blood red lips. Or the way the dark purple two-piece swimsuit left little to imagination. Hermione was mesmerized. She couldn't stop staring at the witch. She watched as the witch got up and slowly walked towards the pool. Bellatrix's hips swayed as she walked, having already sensed that someone was watching her. She dove into the water and swam all the way to the other side of the pool. Once at the other side, she turned around and looked up at Hermione. She waved and Hermione blushed at the realization that she had been caught staring. She waved back coyly and went back inside her room. Once inside, she heard knocking and opened the door. It was Sirius.

"Hello Sirius"

"Hey. Lunch is ready and sending an elf seemed so impersonal. So I came to escort you down m'lady." Sirius held out his arm for Hermione to take.

"What a gentleman", said Hermione as they began to walk down the hallway.

"You sound surprised. I'm quite old fashioned", Sirius said with mock hurt. Hermione snorted at the comment.

"Sorry, the motorcycle and the sleeping around threw me off." They arrived at took seats at the table that had been set up on the patio, ignoring the inquisitive look that Harry was giving them.

Hermione observed the food that was being brought to them. There was a huge selection of fruits along with a main dish consisting of salmon. There was a mix of mangoes, strawberries, watermelons and sliced bananas. Hermione grinned, realizing they were all aphrodisiacs.

_Harry and Tonks are going to have a nice evening, _she thought to herself. She looked at Sirius who grinned back. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Hermione laughed and went to serving her plate.

The quartet began to serve their plates with the large variety of fruits that covered the table. They began to eat and talk about how their year had gone. When Harry brought up Quidditch, Hermione zoned out, not really caring of the Chudley Cannons would continue their losing streak. She threw in small comments here and there but mostly stayed out of the conversation until Tonks changed the topic.

"Where's Bellatrix?"

"She's around. I'm not sure why she hasn't joined us. I called her old this morning so she might still be angry."

_She looks anything but old, _Hermione thought to herself.

"I saw her by the pool, I think. She's the one with black curly hair, correct?"

"Yeah, that's her. Did you guys talk?", Sirius said while putting his hand on her knee. He grinned as Hermione blushed, thinking it was because of him. The younger witch blushed from embarrassment of having been caught staring earlier.

"No, we just waved."

The group continued to eat until their plates were empty. The four wizards stayed at the table long after and continued sharing how their lives were going. After a while, they sat there in silence all contemplating the summer to come. Sirius was the first to speak, asking them if they wanted to go to the beach. Everyone agreed and went to change into bathing suits.

"Can't wait to see you in a bikini 'Mione.", said Sirius as they went into their respective rooms.

* * *

"So, what do you think?", asked Tonks as she put on her swimsuit and changed her hair to red match the color. She walked out of the bathroom and struck a pose for Harry. "I think it looks even better when I make my hair match with it.

Harry was standing near the balcony door and turned around. He looked her over quickly and mumbled yes in agreement. Tonks walked up to her beau and wrapped her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled against his neck.

"Oi, what's wrong love?"

"Nothing. Well it's, it's just that... I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about 'Mione. Something was off when we were at her flat. You felt it too, right?"

"I guess", replied warily, worried about where the conversation was headed.

"I mean, what if Ron hurt her? Or worse? Hermione would never leave books lying around on the floor. She takes better care of them than most people do with their kids."

"Relax love."

"I can't!", Harry yelled. He walked away from Tonks and walked out onto the balcony. He wasn't actually mad at Tonks, he was mad at himself. He knew that Ron wasn't handling well his break from auror training. Small details that he had begun to notice but happily ignored. The way Hermione always looked tired when they passed by each other at the Ministry. The rumors he heard about his redheaded friend visiting brothels. The faint stench of alcohol every time they hung out. He saw all the signs that something was wrong and just ignored it because he was too busy wallowing in self pity over Ginny. Then he was too busy with Tonks and his promotion. Too busy to realize that he had become the worst friend ever. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed loudly. Tonks appeared next to him and he turned towards her. He spoke first.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just that 'Mione's always been there for me and...", Harry paused, ashamed to admit that he took Hermione for granted. Tonks took his hand and spoke.

"And you feel like you weren't there for her. Look Harry, you can't change whatever happened. What's important is that you're here for Hermione now. She's going through a lot of changes in her life, and you have to show her that you're there for her."

"I love you", Harry whispered truthfully before kissing her.

"I love you too, now go change. I want to see you in that Speedo."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed, the next chapter will have the first Bellamione encounter in person ;) If anyone would like to draw or create cover for this story I am accepting submissions. Well then, tell me what you think and please review. (Only if you want, but it is lovely encouragement)**


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